Director of education for the Â鶹ÊÓƵeast Cornerstone Public School Division praised the division for providing safe and caring places for children to attend school and said this is just one of many high points the area can celebrate during education week.
". . . I feel that (way) as both the director of education for the Â鶹ÊÓƵeast Cornerstone School Division and also as a parent that has children in our schools and communities," he said, identifying the success of the division during education week, which ran from Oct. 20 to Oct. 26.
In an interview with the Observer Marc Casavant spoke to the growth of the education system in Â鶹ÊÓƵeast Saskatchewan and highlighting this year's theme of "supporting and celebrating success," he said there are many things the area can celebrate. A release by the Government of Saskatchewan defines the week as one "that provides an opportunity to celebrate student success and recognize the dedication and commitment of education professionals across the province." Casavant said although safety is a priority, the division also prides itself on education.
"Certainly that's something we have to look after- is those basic needs and making sure that children want to come to school and feel welcome when they do," Casavant said.
"But I think once they get there it's also something we're proud of that when they're there we have high expectations for learning."
The Minister of Education the Hon. Don Morgan released a message highlighting some the changes and success that has come to the class room over the years. "We also know that there is increased diversity within the classroom today, so the journey to success may look different for each student. It is important that we provide support to help each student reach their highest potential and celebrate each individual's success along the way," he said.
"A high-quality education system is the heart and vision for Saskatchewan and it is important to recognize the potential of our youth, as they are the leaders of tomorrow. We do this by working together, and focusing on what's most important - our students."
In Carlyle there wasn't an ample amount of activity for education week due to a clash of schedules. This was the case for Gordon F. Kells High School as they were in the process of a magazine campaign. This involved magazines being sold to raise funds for student leadership. However, the school's principal, Maurice Saltel did highlight one of the successes of the school which is, its focus on reading and the notion of reading becoming a lifelong endeavour.
"The school has committed budget money, but more importantly the school community council a couple years back raised approximately $4,000 through a pizza drive to use towards books for our library and because of that we made a promise to kids that if they want to read something and we don't have it we'll find it for you," he said
"And so we've carried through on that commitment and it's been really interesting because we surveyed the kids last June and that's one of the things they like about our school they can get literally any book they want ... The indicator of success actually is a parent comment about the in-thing right now- zombies, and there's been a high demand of zombie books."
During the period schools across the division took time to profile some of the improvements and success they've gained. This involved public presentations about anti-bullying, book fairs, family fun nights and presentations on the division's math initiative.
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